CCR course - yes or no?

[mania]

It's quite possible Poland is more restrictive. Meg doesn't have CE - this I know. The major difference is that you can dive it but you can't teach. From instructor point of view any equipment you use for training has to have CE certificate. But you can own whatever you want.
Mania

 

[spectrum]

This cannot be right. While I am aware of the CE certificate, I thought that more units were CE approved. Certainly, I am aware of UK divers diving Megs and Ourborous units. We've got 3 Meg students at our shop now from the UK. Or is Poland more restrictive?

Did they train in the UK or did they train elsewhere to dive the MEGs in tne UK?

Maina's OP puts the restriction on the instruction if I read her right.

Pete

 

[victor]

In the UK you can get training on a number of CCR's from IANTD in the Uk see http://www.iantd.co.uk/instructor_list.htm
and look down the closed section tesching level.

 

[PerroneFord]

These UK students are having their Megs delivered in the US, taking instruction in the US, and returning home with their Megs. I know the Meg is not CE approved, but I thought the 'Boros was. Obviously, I can't swear to that, but I think Gurr was working on this at least.

 

[Warren_L]

I would also welcome all advice on things I should consider before the course or during one. All dos and don'ts. anything that might be useful

Thanks
Mania

Seeing as you know very little about CCRs in general, a little research on the various units available would be a good idea - just to give you an idea of what is out there. There are going to be a number of things that you will find will be common to all CCRs. However, personal choice plays a big role in determining the specific unit that fits your needs and comfort level. Besides the features of each unit, also consider factors such as the cost of the unit, availability of training, who your dive buddies will be while diving CCR, availability and convenience of maintenance, supplies, parts and upgrades.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Mania,

Well, considering the logic that knowledge is good and proper training correctly applied should always be helpful, I think taking the course is a good idea. Like you said, it will give you general rebreather knowledge and may help you make future decisions. Rebreather training is intense, and it delves deeper into important aspects of dive physiology that OW and even some advanced courses only touch on.

Someone mentioned that most of the recent rebreather deaths were Inspiration related. I believe more people have died on Inspirations than any other rebreather (that is my understanding without seeing any actual data) but I think it is important to remember that more people dive Inspirations than any other rebreather so that stands to reason.

I dive a Classic KISS by way of full disclosure, incidentally.

Just to round this out, I chose the KISS because it is completely manual. One problem I see with rebreathers, at least the research I did, is that some are so automated the diver can become complacent. That is probably what has led to many incidents, accidents and deaths.

Take the course. I'll be intersted to hear your views on it later.

Jeff

 

[mania]

I mentioned the number of deaths on BI. I do know that this is one of the most popular one so statistics are not reflecting the reality.

Now to start with - I'm not yet planning to buy one, so the only costs I will have is the cost of class which is high but acceptable.

Warren - it's not that I know completly nothing about CCRs. But my knowledge is very, very limited. This is why I'm asking your advice - people who already dive rebreathers.

As I understand there are mulitple differences between CCRs but how much of the knowledge I may get during the course would be useful with other than BI CCR?

Mania

 

[Warren_L]

I mentioned the number of deaths on BI. I do know that this is one of the most popular one so statistics are not reflecting the reality.

Now to start with - I'm not yet planning to buy one, so the only costs I will have is the cost of class which is high but acceptable.

Warren - it's not that I know completly nothing about CCRs. But my knowledge is very, very limited. This is why I'm asking your advice - people who already dive rebreathers.

As I understand there are mulitple differences between CCRs but how much of the knowledge I may get during the course would be useful with other than BI CCR?

Mania

There's going to be a lot of knowledge and understanding of CCR RBs in general you will gain from any CCR course that will be applicable to other CCRs. When you actually dive a unit, understanding things like bailout procedures, diluent flushing (high ppO2 or low ppO2), buoyancy control, minimum loop volume, ppO2 monitoring, amongst other things will be pretty universal to most CCR RBs. The differences will actually be things specific to the unit you are training on, such as the location of specific parts of the CCR - diluluent and oxygen inflation controls, tank valves, computer operation (if eCCR), ppO2 monitors, tear down and build up of the unit, packing of the scrubber canister, and other unit specific issues. But I do believe there to be a good amount of information you will gain that will be applicable to other CCRs.

 

[PerroneFord]

Mania,

I am not a rebreather diver, though I have done several days of Meg work. However, our shop here in Florida is somewhat unique. We train the Meg, the Inspiration, the Optima, the Ourboros, and the KISS. We also have Draeger SCR.

Since we stock and train each unit, we are able to go over and show the differences in the units, explain the strengths and weaknesses of each, and you can see them all for yourself. I think this is a huge advantage to people interested in purchasing.

If you are not ready to purchase a unit, you will have to "rent" a unit for the purposes of class. This can be expensive. Some rent for US$500 a week. Some shops will apply the rental cost toward a later purchase.

You should also take into account that if you train up on one unit, that may or may not translate into diving a different unit. Certainly a lot of the knowledge will transfer, but some units are quite different in terms of some procedures. Bail-out, and manual operation are two that come to mind immediately, as well as dealing with a flooded loop.

I don't want to make this sound like an advertisement. I will not name the shop I am talking about. If you're interested contact me privately. But it may in fact be more cost effective for you to find a shop closer to your home that can provide similar services.

Best of luck.

I mentioned the number of deaths on BI. I do know that this is one of the most popular one so statistics are not reflecting the reality.

Now to start with - I'm not yet planning to buy one, so the only costs I will have is the cost of class which is high but acceptable.

Warren - it's not that I know completly nothing about CCRs. But my knowledge is very, very limited. This is why I'm asking your advice - people who already dive rebreathers.

As I understand there are mulitple differences between CCRs but how much of the knowledge I may get during the course would be useful with other than BI CCR?

Mania

 

[mania]

Perrone
BI's were bought by my instructor so i don't have to rent them.
And he bought them for training purposes.
Mania